Precious Time
by supersdude
Summary: After his time in Lord Drakkon's world, Billy realizes you shouldn't wait to say how you feel.


**A/N:** quick note before you read! this is based on the Billy & Trini interactions from the Boom! Power Rangers comic series. That being said **there is some dialogue that references spoilers!** This is also cross-posted on AO3

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"Have you told her yet?"

"Huh?" Billy looked up from the screen he had been staring at for the last ten minutes, typing away to try and find the right calculations. He had always been rather bad at holding a conversation and working, fortunately the person he was working with understood that better than anyone. "Told who what yet?"

"Trini. Well, _your_ Trini, not me. How you feel."

If he had water in that moment he might have spit it out. Seeing as he didn't though Billy was left looking flustered and beside himself at her direct question. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I mean Trini and I we-we're just good friends that's all."

The Trini from this world, the world that was ravaged and ruled by Lord Drakkon, gave him a knowing smile that only unnerved the blue ranger even more. It spurred him on to try a stronger defense.

"That's...even if there was...w-work place relationships are extremely frowned upon."

"You realize BIlly was my friend right? My best friend. I can tell when you're fibbing, Blue."

Billy opened his mouth to utter another retort but thought better of it, closing his mouth with a sigh and letting his head hang. A hand came up, rubbing the back of his neck as he gave her a somewhat sheepish smile. "I guess you have a point. Is it that obvious?"

Trini returned his smile, walking around the console to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Maybe not to everyone. If you're anything like our Billy, he wasn't the most talkative about how he was feeling."

He gave a small chuckle, a brief silence washing over them afterwards. It was bittersweet thinking about how much he might've had in common with his alternate self yet knowing that he would never be able to meet him. Even more so when he thought about the fact that this was the reality Trini lived in.

"Forgive me for prying but did you two...?"

Trini shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "He was just my best friend. There wasn't much time for romance in all the choas after Tommy...well, you know..." As she trailed off, tears fell silently from her eyes.

 _Nice one, genius._

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"No, no. It's okay" she wiped the stray tears away, brushing off his apology.

Despite that Billy couldn't help but feel as though he had been punched in the stomach. He couldn't imagine how he would get by if he lost any of his teammates, let alone Trini, and she had lost that and more in this reality. Not only that but she bared those losses and continued to fight. Unable to find the right words Billy did the only thing he could; he pulled her into a hug. Trini's arms wrapped around him and the sob she had been holding in was let go.

They stayed like that for a while longer, an unspoken comfort being exchanged between the two of them for what was lost and what could never be. When they finally pulled apart, Trini wiped at her cheeks.

"Take it from me; in this line of work you never know what tomorrow might bring. You don't want to live with a 'what if'."

 **[ Present Day ]**

"Billy...Hey, Billy...!"

The blue ranger who had been staring off into space jumped with a start, blinking a few times as he gained his bearings. "Huh? Oh sorry, Trini. I just got lost in thought."

The girl known as the yellow ranger gave him a look for a moment, as if debating whether to prod further on what was wrong. She was pretty good at telling when Billy was off. Although getting lost in thought while they were supposed to be running diagnostics was a pretty obvious giveaway. For a moment she considered just leaving it at that and going back to work but she knew well enough if she didn't ask, no one else might.

"Thinking about anything in particular?"

"N-no. Just, ah," he scratched the back of his neck nervously before conceding, "Just some things that the Trini from that other reality told me."

This world's Trini was silent, giving a small nod of understanding. She hadn't spent much time with her counterpart but Billy had filled her in afterwards. What she had experienced, hell even what BIlly and Tommy did...she couldn't imagine. It made sense that Billy might be dwelling on those events.

"Anything you want to share?" she continued cautiously, "You don't have to. I know that whole thing was an experience to say the least."

At first Billy didn't say anything, instead looking pensive, as if considering not just whether to answer or not but how he should speak. There were certainly times when Billy could overthink a situation and perhaps that was why when he finally did speak it was like a tornado of words.

"Ever since we've met you were always the one who never treated me any differently. Even when you could have you didn't. Every one else see's a shy guy, or a nerd, or a genius but you just see me" he paused for half a second barely taking a breath. "And you're pretty, and smarter than you know, and kick-ass, and caring and..." Billy trailed off when he saw Trini looking at him, wide-eyed. Not in a good or bad way but seemingly just out of surprise. Swallowing the lump in his throat he pushed forward.

"What I'm trying to say is I like you, Trini."

As soon as the words left his mouth he was sure he felt his stomach turn into a black hole. Then again if that swallowed him up maybe it would be better than the alternative. What if he had misinterpreted the advice? Would this make their team dynamc weird? God, he really should've –

Before his brain could make another calculation there was a foreign sensation; something soft pressed firmly against his lips. He blinked a few times before realizing that Trini was kissing him. Trini, the girl he had just admited to having feelings for, was kissing him. The thought alone nearly made him faint.

In what was only a few moments, but certainly felt like a lifetime, Trini pulled away, a shy smile on her features as she looked up at him.

"I like you too, Billy."

The realization took a moment; starting with his eyes blinking until enlightenment reached them, moving down to his cheeks that turned a brilliant hue of blushing red, and finally his lips that broke into a beaming smile. Trini had been right. He didn't know what might happen tomorrow or what trials they would face going forward, but at least he would be able to do so with his head held high knowing that he had no regrets. And no matter what awaited them, they'd face it together.

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 **A/N** : So there it is! I'm a little disappointed they decided to keep Billy and Trini Just Friends(tm) despite, in my opinion, their obvious chemistry and emotional attachment. I feel like Other!Trini would be their biggest shipper. But hey, that's why we have fanfiction right? If you haven't checked out the Power Rangers comic/Shattered Glass arc I strongly suggest you do!


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